Ron...Are your Garcia guns the same as an S3EL (SO4) and an S3EELL (SO5)? By that I mean they are fully engraved and not like the later designated SO4 and SO5 target guns with minimal scroll engraving. The 1971 Gun Digest I have alludes to this.
I'm not sure the period Garcia imported the S-series guns with their own type of designation. RL Wilson's book isn't clear, but it appears to be late 60s to mid 70s (Garcia was in bankruptcy by 1976). Of course, I imagine Beretta was using their own designation (S3, S3EL, S3EELL) outside of the Garcia line.
I have an 1985 Beretta catalog showing an SO3 EELL with 3 pins on the left lock. However, this same catalog shows an SO4 Competition Trap with 4 pins on the left lock. Maybe this is the year when Beretta was upgrading the lock design.
I have an S3 from 1955 (7 pin design) and a couple of S3EELLs from the mid-60s (5/4 pin design).
